We live in a created world, our common home. God holds all creation together, and through Jesus reconciled all things to the Creator (Colossians 1:15-23). God made a world that was good, very good, and which, despite deep problems, is still fundamentally good. Our Creator is faithful and is not about to give up on it.

The bad news...

The planet is heating up and our fossil fuel use is the primary cause. Even worse, we in Aotearoa are among the worst offenders, with our carbon footprint 13 times that of the poorest half of the world’s population. And those doing it tough are already facing the consequences.

People and ecosystems all around the world are already stressed by changing patterns of floods, droughts, heatwaves, and seasons. 

We're not immune. Aotearoa is facing floods, cyclones, droughts and heatwaves more frequently and with more intensity due to global heating.

The scale of the problem and the slow pace with which the world seems to be responding makes many of us feel anxious and overwhelmed. If you'd like to read more about the consensus on climate science, you can do that HERE.

The good news...

Jesus came to set things right and His resurrection gives us hope in God’s promise for the future, including the renewal of all of creation. As followers of the risen Christ, we are invited to be a faithful presence in the world, praying that God's will is done on earth as in heaven. Of all people, we are used to admitting when we've gone the wrong way and seeking instead to serve our many neighbours in love.

It's encouraging to learn we already have the technology to transition to a clean energy future and the opportunity to rediscover a life consisting of far more than the accumulation of possessions, as our Lord taught (Luke 12:15).

Loving our neighbour means climate justice

Our children, future generations, the global poor and other species face the worst consequences of climate change yet bear the least responsibility. This is a grave injustice.

The decisions we make in this critical moment will determine the severity of climate change for all these neighbours.

Pursuing climate justice today means reclaiming our human vocation of humble care for one another and the creatures around us. In a world changing faster than at any point in human history, climate justice is an inescapable part of Christian discipleship for those in Aotearoa today.

Our response

As followers of Jesus, we know we have to take responsibility for our impact on the earth and on our neighbours. Putting a price on carbon helps us to collectively do that. But in Aotearoa successive governments give out millions of free credits to just a few large companies together representing 10% of the country's emissions so they don’t have an incentive to reduce their emissions.

Subsidising pollution during a climate crisis doesn’t make sense.

To change this, Common Grace Aotearoa is leading Don’t Subsidise Pollution, a campaign calling on the government to end free carbon credits, cut pollution, and unlock green jobs in Aotearoa’s industrial sectors. 

Get involved today